TRENTON, March 25, 2015 – The Christie Administration recently launched its Atlantic City Re-employment initiative to provide comprehensive re-employment and retraining assistance to workers impacted by the casino closings in Atlantic City last year. The initiative, funded through a $29.4 million National Emergency Grant awarded to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development from the USDOL, provides participants with a series of small group and one-on-one services including a personalized employment plan to get workers on track to land a new job or get training to start a new career.

“My department has been on the ground helping in Atlantic City since the Atlantic Club closed last January,” said Commissioner Harold J. Wirths of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. “This National Emergency Grant builds on the services we’ve been providing to assist these dislocated casino workers to obtain new jobs or to retrain to gain new skills. This is no small task and with about 6,800 workers impacted by the closing of this last round of casino closings, this grant will go a long way in helping these workers rebound.”

The Atlantic City Re-employment initiative focuses on preparing displaced workers for jobs that are in demand by regional employers through partnerships with the state and local workforce investment boards, community colleges, employers, industry associations and New Jersey’s Talent Networks.

Presently, workers impacted by layoffs from the Revel, Trump Plaza, Show Boat and Trump Taj Mahal casinos in Atlantic City, including restaurants and businesses located inside those casinos are completing small group orientation sessions to lay the groundwork for individualized re-employment and training sessions. The one-on-one sessions will analyze employer-driven training programs, integrated literacy and career pathway programs, and on-the-job training in concert with a worker’s education, skills and experience.

The Christie Administration was on the scene assisting workers before three Atlantic City casinos ceased operations last summer through the Department of Labor’s rapid response services. In the immediate aftermath of the casino closings, the Department of Labor staff joined the Unite Here casino union in assisting displaced casino workers at two response centers opened by the union in space provided by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to assist any casino worker seeking help with filing for unemployment insurance benefits and job search assistance.

The Department of Labor also hosted its largest single career fair at the Atlantic City Convention Center on Sept. 10, 2014, when more than 1,500 job-seekers turned out to meet with 60 employers looking to fill about 1,500 positions.

Workers who may qualify for Atlantic City Re-employment services under the grant that were laid off from the Revel, Trump Plaza, Show Boat or Trump Taj Mahal casinos in Atlantic City, including restaurants and businesses located inside those casinos, will receive a notice to attend a session in the coming weeks. Open sessions are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to 30 people a session. All sessions are held at the Atlantic-Cape Community College campus in Atlantic City. For more information:

Workers who may not qualify for services under the grant can continue to take advantage of the One-Stop Career Center services available to all New Jersey job-seekers through the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Go to http://careerconnections.nj.gov/ to search open positions, find a One-Stop, explore training opportunities and much more.

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is an equal employment opportunity employer and provides equal opportunity programs.
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